Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for July 24th

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Bike Cave to lose majority of university funding
by Weldon McKenzie        star.txstate.edu
The Bike Cave, Texas State’s on-campus bicycle shop, will lose a majority of its funding in August as a result of the cancellation of the Bobcat Tram Interurban services, but is in no immediate danger of closing.
The Bike Cave, which opened in 2007, encourages its patrons to work on their own bikes under the supervision of trained employees in order to instill sustainable skills in the customer. Paul Hamilton, manager of shuttle service for Transportation Services, said the student-operated bicycle repair shop’s funding will be affected by the elimination of the Bobcat Tram Interurban services on August 26. Hamilton said a large portion of the Bike Cave’s funding comes from the income of the BTI service.
According to a Jan. 31 University Star article, the BTI service is discontinuing transportation to…

Air Force Cycling Team pedals across Iowa
by Staff Sgt. Abigail Klein        www.af.mil

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AFNS) — Come rain, wind or an average temperature of 90 degrees, 94 Airman began pedaling across Iowa as part of the Registers Annual Bicycle Ride across Iowa, better known as RAGBRAI, July 21.
The Air Force Cycling Team, under the leadership of Senior Master Sgt. Larry Gallo, assigned to 433rd Airlift Wing, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, donned team jerseys complete with the Air Force symbol on their backs and started their trek at Council Bluffs, Iowa. This is the 19th year the Air Force has participated as a team in the event.
One of the longest rides of the seven-day event, took place July 22 and was…

Corpus Christi suggests cyclists address hit-and-run problem with a camera
By Craig Hlavaty        www.chron.com
Corpus Christi police are suggesting to bicycle riders in the coastal bend city that they start attaching video cameras to the back of their bikes in order to catch hit-and-run drivers.
A report by Corpus outlet KRIS-TV this week showed off GoPro camera footage that could be used to identify vehicles and drivers that hit bicyclists.
“We have a city ordinance already saying you need to pass bicyclists safely in place, but we continue to have them struck by vehicles,” says Michael Alanis, spokesman for the Corpus Christi Police Department.
He’s distressed by how many drivers don’t stop after accidents, either because they got scared or thought that they hit an animal or…

TTU Bicycle Education Team Seeks Feedback
BikeTexas.org
Do you work or learn at Texas Tech? If so, the TTU Bicycle Education Team wants to hear from you!

Texas Tech University is considering offering free Bicycle Skills Certificate employing a League of American Bicyclists curriculum. The planning team would like to survey Texas Tech community in order to…

Le Tour de Fort Worth
jimsbikeblog.wordpress.com


One of the cool new fixtures of a Fort Worth summer is the Tour de Fort Worth, a daily series of bicycle rides led by the city’s bike-riding mayor, Betsy Price, to coincide with the Tour de France.
Tour de Fort Worth logoOn Sunday, as Briton Chris Froome was heading for Paris and a victory lap on the Champs Elysees as the winner of the 100th edition of the Tour de France, about 150 cyclists were tooling through Fort Worth’s west side neighborhoods and along the Trinity Trails in the finale of the third annual Tour de Fort Worth.

Mayor Price, an avid cyclist for a quarter-century, had for years been marking the…

 

Heavy Legs – July 24th Bike Ride

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Riding to Huffman today I varied the route a tiny bit once I got over Lake Houston going down W. Lake Houston Parkway. Nothing big but I skipped these streets for awhile to try some others. I planned to ride 30 miles or more and ended up at 31.62 miles averaging 15.5 mph. This put me over 4000 miles with 4027. July moved up to 701.79 miles.

Weather continues to be warm but I caught a break at the 10:50 start at 84.7 degrees and 66% humidity. The forecast was for 99 degrees but I had my doubts because the sky was overcast and the light 9 mph SW breeze felt a little cool. Later at 1:24 when I got back home it had increased to 93.7 degrees and 47% humidity. It must be my jersey selection today that my perspiration dripped a lot at the Huffman Chevron while I stopped.

I did not have too much trouble maintaining a good pace except when I left the Huffman Chevron heading west on FM1960. The wind really made pedaling hard and my speed never rode much above 15 mph. Once I got the west side of the lake and turned onto Atascocita Shores the wind let up or my legs got stronger and I increased my speed. The rest of the route I went in and out of the headwind as I changed direction but kept the speed up around 19 to 20 mph. On Fairlake Drive I encountered another bicyclist going the opposite direction. He was wearing a red, white and blue jersey with a big white star on the right front. We waved just before a car drove between us. Riding south on Fairlake Drive I thought the time for a train might be near and as I went over the tracks I looked to the left and in the distance was the end of the train stopped. Crossing over the tracks on FM2100 at FM1960 I saw the train engines standing. I think the engineers stopped for lunch or maybe a potty break.

Tomorrow the forecast is 97 degrees. I need to start an hour earlier than today but I can’t seem to get out the door for some reason.

Links to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.com metrics and maps. The route around here are as flat as a pancake. Wind is the challenge.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for July 23rd

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Annual bike ride raises money for local breast cancer organizations
impactnews.com
This year’s Texas Mamma Jamma Ride on Oct. 26 aims to raise $500,000 for local organizations that support individuals with breast cancer and their families.
Resources provided by these organizations range from financial help for women who cannot afford diagnostics or treatments to special classes for breast cancer survivors that teach them how to cook and exercise, ride Executive Director Hope Geer said.
“All services are for those who are struggling and…

Police Suggest Cameras for Cyclists
PM by Janine Reyes        www.kztv10.com

CORPUS CHRISTI — Safety conscious cyclists are used to wearing a lot of gear when they hit the road. Now, Corpus Christi police are suggesting they add backward facing cameras to that list. It’s all part of an effort to help police track down hit and run drivers.
Tom Neagli is an avid cyclist, owner of Bay Area Bicycles and a member of the city’s traffic advisory board. “I ride in packs and I feel safer in a pack.”
He also knows that way too many cyclists have fallen victim to…

Bicyclists hope to connect to Old Soncy Trail roadway
By Kevin Welch        amarillo.com
It’s complicated, but talks could begin soon on what to do with a running and bike trail that’s outside city limits but is frequently used by city dwellers.
The running and biking community call it Old Soncy Trail, a rolling three-mile sliver of what was Soncy Road before the Texas Department of Transportation built Loop 335.
“I have been on city trails in Austin, Tulsa, Boulder, Stillwater, Santa Fe and Albuquerque several times, and I bet those cities would love to have something similar to Old Soncy Trail,” said Ken Graham, president of bike safety advocacy group Share the Road. “Even in its current deplorable situation, it is a gem. This trail is too important to let mother nature and…

Top urban bike paths across the USA
www.usatoday.com

Although they lag behind their European counterparts, American cities are becoming more and more bike friendly. A growing number are launching bike sharing schemes—New York and Chicago being the latest—and bike lanes continue to grow in mileage nationwide.
While bike lanes are nice (when they’re not blocked by double-parked cars, that is), nothing quite puts cycling on par with driving like a dedicated bike path. A great path…

…7. Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail—Austin, Texas
Although the Lance Armstrong Bikeway may speak in name to the Texas capital’s love affair with cycling—and its most famous resident, recent unpleasantness aside—it’s the Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail that has the city’s heart. This 10-mile trail of easy-riding crushed granite loops around…

San Antonio B-Cycle
Thanks to everyone who came made it out to the first Something Monday. We had a great time riding with The Rivard Report, seeing new faces, learning more about the San Antonio River, and…

Share the ROAD! asks for trail upkeep
by Andrea Flores        www.connectamarillo.com

AMARILLO, TEXAS — The Share the ROAD! organization is urging Amarillo officials to consider turning the unofficial Old Soncy Road Trail into a designated area for bikers and runners.

“This is a former road bed, it’s now an unofficial trail although it is on the city’s Hike and Bike plan so that does give it some official standing,” said Share the ROAD! President Kenneth Graham. “It’s a safe place to train for runners and walkers and bicycle riders because…

City’s Bicycle Program Chief Moves to the Capital Planning Office
by djcurtin            bicyclesportshop.wordpress.com
We get a fair amount of cycling related news. And we love it when it is good news for both a friend and the City at large. Last week we learned that the head of the City’s Bicycle Program, Annick Beaudet would be moving to a new role. We checked in with Hill who had a few thoughts about the news which are shared here, and Annick’s original email is below.  Best of luck in your new role, Annick!

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A Hearty Congratulations!

The Austin bicycle community received big news last Friday with the announcement that Annick Beaudet, head of the City’s Neighborhood Connectivity Division (probably better known as the Bicycle Program) was leaving her position there.  While it may initially seem to be a great loss for those of us who have…

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Almost Hit 4000 – July 23rd Bike Ride

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An overcast sky helped to hold in the humidity as I left at 10:50 on today’s ride. The humidity was not as high as yesterday standing at 63%. The 8 mph SW wind usually brings drier air and by the finish of the ride at 1:38 the sky was partly cloudy to the north and overcast to the south. Humidity dropped to 44% and the temperature was 94.8, 7 degrees up from the start.

Riding to the north to New Caney I took the “back” way out of Kingwood on Mills Branch Drive and then Ford Road to get to Loop 494. Except for the portion of Ford Road where I rode west the wind helped me keep a good starting average speed. I was only 6 seconds over at the 5 mile point to get a 15 mph average speed. Riding on Loop 494 north it did not take long to make up those 6 seconds and more. I expected some wind resistance riding on FM1485 to Gene Campbell Road and at first there was but a slight dogleg to the right was just enough to get some help from the breeze.

Once I was on Gene Campbell Road the breeze was not holding me back too much but when I took the side street square I experienced the wind’s power with each change in direction. Back on Gene Campbell I rode to FM1314 to begin the trip towards Porter. With a SW breeze this section does not ride into the wind and it can even switch to a tailwind at times. Approaching the Stripes station is one of those where the road bends to the left and the SW becomes a true tailwind.

Stopping at Stripes I enjoyed the shade and rested for the final 11 miles or so back home. A package of Nature Valley granola bars replenished my sugar and I washed them down with my usual Diet Pepsi. Back on my bike after 20 or 25 minutes I rode home through Briar Tree, Oakhurst and Kingwood. The route mileage came in at 34.59 miles bringing the week to 74.75 miles, July to 670.18 miles and year to date up to 3996 miles. Tomorrow I should get over the 4000 mile point for the year.

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